Melih spent his childhood in Eskisehir and Ankara before getting accepted to Turkey’s first and only school for gifted and talented TEV Inanc Turkes High School on a merit-based full scholarship. There, he had the chance to be part of a unique educational program at an early age. The school had provided a secluded environment with adequate facilities where the students could socialize and learn from each other during the highly beneficial extracurricular activities. As a result, his experiential learning and leadership involvement took off at his high school by starting up two new student clubs, organizing the end-of-the-year student festival, and getting involved in countless student-run projects. 

Melih also spent a full academic year at Cheboygan High School in Cheboygan, Michigan, through the AFS/YES Intercultural Exchange Program with a full scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. This opportunity had allowed him to experience, learn and be part of the intercultural learning activities that had transformed him completely. Since his return in 2006, Melih has been volunteering at AFS and YES related events and camps by organizing workshops on problem-solving, culture shock, and cultural dialogue. He also helps plan the orientation camps for students’ year-long exchange in the U.S. and re-entry into their home culture.

Melih attended St. Lawrence University, located in Canton, New York, on a merit-based full scholarship. In 2011 he graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in Global Studies and a minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Through St. Lawrence’s numerous international programs, Melih also had the chance to spend a semester abroad in Trinidad and Tobago. There, he participated in Pacific Lutheran University’s program and took classes from the University of West Indies, focusing on the culture, politics, and history of Trinidad and the greater Caribbean region. 

In summer 2008, Melih had his first professional experience in organizing educational summer camps at Camp Club. He registered students, organized the logistics, and managed transportation and lodging. 

In 2009 and 2010, Melih worked as a counselor at Access Summer Camps, organized by the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. At these camps, he initiated interactive and experiential English learning opportunities for high school students. He also gave classes on filmmaking, photography, and astronomy.

In 2010, Melih also won a $ 10,000 grant with his Peace Through Mutual Interaction project proposal, awarded by the Davis Projects for Peace Foundation. He planned, organized, and ran a three-week shared learning program with eighty ‘street’ children of Diyarbakir and eight Turkish and American college students. Along with his team, he worked with the children in new ways of self-expression through music, drama, painting, English, and photography.

Upon graduation, Melih returned to Istanbul and worked as an editor, tour guide, and academic consultant. He volunteered at a local NGO in Romania for four months through European Volunteer Service, sponsored by the EU. He co-planned and executed the well-received social project, called “Goren Gozler – Seeing Eye” Tandem Bicycle Project, funded by AFS USA, in Eskisehir, Turkey. He is also one of the founding members of YES Alumni Turkey Association.

Before launching Habitat Academy, he worked as an Educational Counselor and Academic Relations Coordinator at EF – Education First. He conducted school visits and worked collaboratively with educational institutes, teachers, and parents to provide the best possible educational program. He also briefly worked at EF San Francisco School to help them expand their host family network by conducting neighborhood visits. 

Motivated by his past experiences and driven by the genuine desire to offer similar opportunities to others, Melih constantly tries to reach out to as many young people as possible to help them evolve into open-minded, virtuous, and ethical global citizens. With this in mind, Melih launched a language school in December 2015 in his hometown, Eskisehir, Turkey, called Habitat Academy – Language Learning Home. 

Sibel joined Habitat Academy in 2016 as a partner. Since then, Sibel and Melih, also husband and wife, have been working nonstop to make Habitat Academy what it is today.

Sibel graduated from Anadolu University English Language Teaching Department with honors degree. Later, she worked as a teacher in Sandviken, Sweden for a year through the Comenius program, sponsored by the EU. After working in different educational institutions in Eskisehir and Ankara, she moved to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where she worked at a private American school. Upon her return to Turkey, she became involved in the establishment of Habitat Academy – English Learning Home.

Currently she manages academic and financial matters while taking care of a toddler at home.